Bowen Family Systems Theory emphasizes the family as a naturally occurring emotional system, highlighting concepts such as triangles, differentiation of self, and multigenerational transmission processes. It outlines the therapist's role in facilitating emotional clarity and connection while guiding individuals to increase their level of differentiation and reduce chronic anxiety. The theory elaborates on how emotional dynamics influence relationships and societal behaviors, integrating both individual and familial contexts.

1. Bowen Family Systems Theory: An
Overview
Barbara Cunningham,
Psy.D., LMFT

2. Objectives
 Overview
 Assumptions
 Eight Concepts
 The Role of the Therapist

3. Assumptions
Bowen developed his theory
under two assumptions
2) Man’s emotional functioning must extend beyond
psychological constructs to recognize the human’s
relatedness to all life
3) An adequate understanding of human behavior must rest
on a foundation that includes a relational system. Bowen
assumed that the family was a naturally occurring system.
(Kerr & Bowen, 1988)

4. General Concepts
 Focus on system  Closeness and
dynamics Distance
– Not symptoms – two opposing forces
creating the tension in
human relationships
 Chronic Anxiety
 Emotional system
 Over and (instincts) and
Underfunctioning Intellectual system
(capacity to think)

5. Eight Concepts
 Triangles  Multigenerational
Transmission
 Differentiation of Self
 Emotional Cut-off
 Nuclear Family
Emotional System  Sibling Position
 Family Projection  Societal Emotional
Process Process

6. Triangles
“This concept describes the way three people relate
to each other and involve others in the emotional
issue between them”
“A two person system is basically unstable. In a
tension field, the two people predictably involve a
third person to make a triangle. If it involves four or
more people, the system becomes a series of
interlocking triangles”.
(Bowen, 1978)

7. Differentiation of Self
 Solid Self
 Pseudoself
 Differentiation Scale

8. Nuclear Family Emotional System
 Describes four basic relationship
patterns that govern where problems
develop in a family
1) Marital Conflict
2) Dysfunction in one spouse
3) Impairment of one or more children
4) Emotional Distance

9. Family Projection Process
 Describes the primary way parents transmit their
emotional problems to a child
Three Steps
1) The parent focuses on a child out of
fear that something is wrong with the child
2) the parent interprets the child's behavior
as confirming the fear
3) the parent treats the child as if something
is really wrong with the child.

10. Multigenerational transmission Process
 Describes how small differences in the levels
of differentiation between parents and their
offspring lead over many generations to
marked differences in differentiation among
the members of a multigenerational family

11. Emotional Cut-off
 Describes people managing their unresolved
emotional issues with parents, siblings, and other
family members by reducing or totally cutting off
emotional contact with them
3. Feels like a child to adult relationship with the
parent rather than adult to adult
4. Feels guilty; must solve their conflicts or distresses
5. Feels enraged that his parents do not seem to
understand or approve of him/her

12. Sibling Position
 Walter Toman
 People who grow up in the same
sibling position predictably have
important common characteristics.
 Toman's research showed that sibling
positions may affect relational
dynamics in adult life

13. Societal Emotional Process
 Describes how the emotional system governs
behavior on a societal level, promoting both
progressive and regressive periods in a society
 Human societies undergo periods of regression
and progression in their history. The current
regression seems related to factors such as the
population explosion, a sense of diminishing
frontiers, and the depletion of natural resources

14. The Role of the Therapist
 Coach  Teaching the theory
 Calm and neutral  Defining and
while still maintaining clarifying the
emotional contact relationships
 Emotionally between family
detriangled members
 Focus on facts more  Be a curious person:
than feelings-- How, What, When
objective presence and Where

15. Precautions
 Low level of self means rigorous
differentiation work is indicated
 Discourage others’ reactivity by guiding
them toward looking for facts that explain the
sensitivity
 Avoid clients’ attempts to triangle in therapist
 Attempts to make others change must be
redirected toward increased focus on self
 Anger
 Low motivation to change

16. Goals of Therapy
 Increase level of
differentiation
 Reduce reactivity in the  Detriangle
moment  I messages; self-
 Decrease chronic levels definition
of anxiety  Reconnect
 Reduce fusion of  Increase the capacity
thoughts and feelings for one to one
 Educate and model relationships
differentiation

17. Interventions
 Work first with the person more differentiated
 Focus on thinking more than feeling (i.e. Do not ask, “How do
you feel about…,” but rather “How do you think about…”)
 Detriangle
 Therapist = neutral presence
 Reduce interaction between dyad; each client speaks to the
therapist
 I messages
 Teach about the function of the emotional system
 Identify triggers for reactivity
 Family diagram

18. Seven Steps to Defining Self
1. Clarify one’s own internal goals, mission, vision and values--
what is your bottom line? What are your non-negotiables
(what I will and will not do, despite relationship pressure)
2. What are the obstacles within self?
3. What are the obstacles in the important relationship triangles?
4. Can you trace your relationship sensitivity to the nuclear
family emotional process?
5. What are the multigenerational processes that influence your
values, strengths and weaknesses?
6. What are the useful new and old strategies?
7. How is feedback from the environment used for learning?
(Jacobs, 2002)

19. References
Bowen, M. (1978). Family therapy in clinical practice. New York:
Jason Aronson, Inc.
Gilbert, R.M. (1994). Extraordinary relationships: A new way of
thinking about human interactions. Minneapolis: Chronimed
Publishing.
Kerr, M. (1998, Spring). Darwin to Freud to Bowen: Toward a
natural system theory of human behavior. Georgetown, 17-19,
44.
Kerr, M. E., & Bowen, M. (1988). Family evaluation. New York:
Norton.
Papero, D.V. (1995). Bowen family systems and marriage. In N. S.
Jacobson & A. S. Gurman (Eds.), Clinical handbook of couples
therapy (I, pp. 11-30). New York: Guilford Publications.

20. Websites
http://www.georgetownfamilycenter.org/index.html
http://www.ideastoaction.com/8concepts.html
http://www.psychpage.com/learning/library/counseling/bowen.html
http://education.smsu.edu/counseling/COU633FamilyTherapyTheory.htm
http://www.ideastoaction.com/bowencv.html
http://ideastoaction.com/connect.html
http://www.mindymac.com/Feminist_Family_Therapy.htm
http://www.ideastoaction.com/murraybowenintro.html
http://www.wholepsych.com/private/Reactivity.html